Prevention of Hamstring Injuries in Collegiate Sprinters

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Exercise Physiology
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Hamstring injuries are common in sprinters, yet no established prevention programs exist.
• Previous research has not investigated the impact of combined training modalities on hamstring injury rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of progressive hamstring injury prevention strategies in collegiate male sprinters.
• To determine if incorporating agility and flexibility training alongside strength training reduces injury incidence.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive epidemiological study analyzed hamstring injury incidence over 24 seasons (1988-2011) among 613 collegiate male sprinters.
• Prevention strategies evolved: strength training only (1988-1991), strength and agility (1992-1999), and strength, agility, and flexibility (2000-2011).

Main Results:

• Hamstring injury incidence per athlete-seasons decreased significantly across the periods: 137.9 (period 1), 60.6 (period 2), and 6.7 (period 3).
• A significant difference in injury incidence was observed between the prevention programs (χ²(2) = 31.78, P < .001).
• Period 1 showed significantly higher injuries than expected, while Period 3 showed significantly lower injuries than expected (P < .01).

Conclusions:

• The addition of agility and flexibility training to a strength-based program markedly reduced hamstring injury rates in sprinters.
• This study provides evidence for an optimized, multi-component training strategy for hamstring injury prevention.